Apple Releases iOS 17.3.1 and macOS Sonoma 14.3.1

Apple has released yesterday iOS 17.3.1, iPadOS 17.3.1, and macOS Sonoma 14.3.1. The release notes only mention a single fix for a bug causing text to unexpectedly duplicate or overlap while typing. For Apple Watch users, watchOS 10.3.1 is also available with improvements and bug fixes Apple didn’t detail.

These minor updates come a little more than two weeks after the release of iOS 17.3 and macOS 14.3. These updates added support for collaborative playlists on Apple Music, and iPhone users also got a new Stolen Device Protection feature that increases protection by requiring Face ID or Touch ID with no passcode fallback to perform certain actions.

Next month, Apple will release major update for iOS to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) For EU users, iOS 17.4 will add support for alternative app stores, other web browser engines, and other tap-to-pay payment systems.

However, Epic Games, Spotify, and other developers have criticized Apple’s new App Store terms, which if accepted, will require developers to pay a €0.5 “core technology fee” on the first annual install after an app crosses the threshold of 1 million downloads. Under Apple’s new App Store terms, this fee will apply to apps distributed via Apple’s App Store as well as alternative marketplaces.

While iOS 17.4 is expected to shake up Apple’s walled garden in a pretty big way (only in Europe, though), Apple may still need to do some fine-tuning. In reaction to Apple’s measures to comply with the DMA, Thierry Breton, European commissioner for Internal market, told Reuters that “if the proposed solutions are not good enough, we will not hesitate to take strong action.”